


Wrong Number

by theundeadsiren (rhoen)



Series: March 2015 [7]
Category: In the Flesh (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-20
Updated: 2015-04-20
Packaged: 2018-03-24 23:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3789088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhoen/pseuds/theundeadsiren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Whoever is texting Kieren has obviously got the wrong number. They end up chatting a little though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrong Number

**Author's Note:**

> This is the ninth of the fics I wrote last month. It's so cliché. I'd like to go back and better it, but I really can't see myself ever bothering :/
> 
> Thank you to [you-thin-youre-well-cool](http://you-think-youre-well-cool.tumblr.com/) who read over this for me.
> 
> (First posted 19/3/15)

**You may not take this fic and edit or reupload it - in whole or in part - without my express permission. This includes translations.**

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Thank you for respecting my wishes

* * *

 

The light was blinking, indicating a notification. Unlocking his phone, Kieren was greeted by two texts from an unfamiliar number.  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:22] _you have to stop changing your number gunner freak._  
[18:23] _and you and your gf need to stop leaving clothing at mine. its nasty_  
  
Not sure if he should feel insulted or laugh at the person's indignation, Kieren just gave a polite reply.  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:27]  _I'm sorry, you have the wrong number_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:27] _i do?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:28] _Yeah, sorry. Who were you trying to reach?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:28]  _annoying brunette called chel, always losing phones and giving me wrong numbers_  
  
For some reason, Kieren got the impression that the same words would be happily repeated to whoever Chel was. The person texting was probably annoyed at been given the wrong number - maybe even on purpose. If they were friends, it seemed to be the kind of friendship with no insults barred.  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:28] _Sorry, don't know anyone by that name._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:29] _fuck, okay, sorry. but if you know chel tell her i'll kick her ass for this. we had plans_  
[18:35] _you doing anything?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:36]  _No, just watching TV._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:36]  _anything good?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:37]  _Just the news._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:39]  _how old are you?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:39]  _19_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:39] _dont watch the news_  
[18:40] _ever seen a bridge too far?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:40]  _Is that a film?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:40]  _a classic. itv @ 9. try it_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:41] _Is that what you were going to do with Chel?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:41] _no, were goin to watch the game mufc v arsenal. she prob knew gunners were gonna lose_  
  
There was that word again. He had no idea if the 'mufc' or Arsenal were the gunners, and, while he had at least heard of Arsenal, he didn't know enough to talk about football. He scrolled up a fraction to recheck the name of the film.  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:43]  _What's a bridge too far about?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:44] _classic war film, worth watching_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:45]  _How old are you?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:45]  _21\. why?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:45] _You sounded... older. Sorry._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:45] _how come?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:46]  _Football and war films. Just thought you were older. You a guy?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:46] _says the news person. yep i am, you?_  
[18:46]  _did you want me to be older?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:47]  _Yeah, I'm a guy. And no, I was just wondering, sorry._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:47] _you say sorry a lot_  
[18:52]  _you eaten yet?_  
[18:54]  _i cant decide what to have. pizza or chinese_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:55]  _Pizza. You cook?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:55] _fuck no_  
[18:55]  _pizza it is then_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:56]  _You should. Get a base from the shop, buy stuff you like, and shove it all on top. Better than a takeaway and you can eat the leftover toppings the next day._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:57]  _damn, never thought of that. smart. what do you have?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[18:58]  _Not really a pizza person. Usually just BBQ chicken and red peppers._  
[18:58]  _Don't put raw chicken on, though - buy pre-cooked stuff._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[18:59] _i cant believe i never thought of this. i'll have to go to the shop. bbq chicken sounds so good right now_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:00]  _It is. I think I'll head to the shop too._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:00]  _what else do you buy to put on it?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:03]  _Sorry, I was just grabbing my shoes. I get a base/boring pizza, tomato paste so it's not too dry (and you can use the rest of the tube next time), some extra_  
[19:03]  _cheese and whatever topping I feel like. It's up to you really._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:04]  _ever tried it with bacon?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:05]  _Can't say that I have._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:05]  _i'll try it one day. will you be gone long?_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:06]  _I'm walking now._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:08]  _oh. same. thanks for keeping me company btw_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:08]  _Likewise. Have you decided what you will get?_  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:09]  _gonna try your suggestion see how it turns out_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:09]  _It's my favourite, hope you like it. Tesco's cheap mozzarella pizzas are a good base._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:10] _ta, just in tesco. its two mins from my place. theyve got a deal on oreos atm_  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:10] _Just saw - they have a huge shelf of them just inside the door._  
  
_+440709732521:_  
[19:11]  _deal on the pizzas too - three for two_  
  
Rounding the corner of the aisle with a sign reading 'Frozen Meals - Pizza' above it, Kieren stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the guy a few feet away who was busy taking three pizza from the freezer and tucking them into his arm, his other hand clutching his phone. He was about Kieren's height, with short brown hair and a strong physique barely hidden by the jeans and leather jacket he wore. It was too much of a coincidence. It couldn't be.  
  
Heart having stopped, it now started thudding loudly in his chest as the guy looked round, noticing him and letting their eyes meet. Kieren remembered him. He knew him. This was the guy he'd seen across the room at Jem's girlfriend Michelle's party a fortnight ago, and had been unable to stop thinking about for days afterwards, until he'd forced himself to push the memory aside. This was the guy Jem had been teasing him about, because no matter how many times she had urged him to do so that night, he hadn't gone over and said 'hi', despite her and Michelle's promises that he - Rick - was a really nice guy and would like it if Kieren went over to him.  
  
Michelle. Chel.  
  
Slowly, Kieren raised the phone he still held tightly in his hand, intensely aware of the charged tension that had sprung up between them, diminishing everything else. The last message was still on the screen, and he typed a simple reply.  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:12]  _Okay._  
  
The guy's phone beeped once, loudly.  
  
Kieren could already see the realisation on Rick's face, but as he glanced at his phone, annoyance flickered across his handsome features.  
  
"Goddamnit Chel!" he suddenly burst out, something in his posture slumping in defeat. Shaking his head, he looked at Kieren, seeming apologetic. "Sorry. I'm Rick. Jem's brother Ren, yeah?"  
  
Kieren nodded automatically, ignoring the abbreviation of his name. He was still trying to process what was happening. "Michelle gave you my number?"  
  
Rick was pocketing his phone, frowning. "She told me she lost her phone. Sneaky cow. She wrote her number on a bit of paper just before she disappeared for a meeting with her tutor."  
  
A meeting that even Kieren was sure didn't exist. Michelle was somehow even more devious than his own sister, and he was at the same time both impressed and terrified by the two of them. He couldn't help snorting in amusement and annoyance. Both he had Rick had been set up.  
  
"I bet Jem had a hand in this too," he sighed.  
  
"Yeah?" Rick asked, looking awkward as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.  
  
"She was nagging me all night at the party to go over and talk to you."  
  
His openness won him a surprised look from Rick, before a small smile tugging the corner of Rick's mouth. "Did you want to? I would have loved it if you did."  
  
The admission made Kieren's heart race again, and he blushed. "Sorry," he mumbled, finding himself unable to help looking down at the floor.  
  
"Hey," Rick said strongly, pulling Kieren's attention back up. "I was too chicken to come say anything either, don't worry about it."  
  
There was a pause, neither of them really sure how to continue. Kieren hadn't believed Jem or Michelle when they'd said Rick wouldn't mind Kieren talking to him, because he quite simply hadn't been able to imagine Rick finding him interesting, never mind attractive. The idea that Rick had wanted Kieren to go over and say something was... strange.  
  
"Well seeing as you know I'm not an axe murderer or anything, want to come back to my place for pizza?" Rick asked, breaking the silence.  
  
Kieren did a double-take at the forwardness, frowning. "I don't."  
  
Rick's face fell a little. Well, a lot, actually.  
  
"Axe murderer," Kieren rushed stupidly. "I don't know you're not one."  
  
It took Rick a moment to catch up, then he snorted with laugher. "Okay, fair enough," he almost giggled. It was a strange word to apply to such a guy, but Kieren couldn't really think what else to call it - it was also an incredibly warming sound to listen to, and made him want to gravitate closer.  
  
He couldn't, though.  
  
"Um, thanks for the offer," he said carefully, "but I really have to head back after this. I left my TV on."  
  
Rick's face fell again, the smile disappearing from his lips. "Oh, okay."  
  
Kieren had intended to step forward and finally take what he needed from the freezer beside him, but he was caught by the disappointment they both felt - more by Rick's actually. It was one thing to want to spend time with a guy like Rick, it was completely another for that desire to be reciprocated.  
  
"You could... well, you could come round to my place instead? I can cook for us both?"  
  
Rick shook his head with a sigh. "I kinda left some stuff on too... although..." Rick looked up at Kieren, an idea clearly forming. "If you don't mind waiting here, I could run back and turn it all off?"  
  
"Is it far?"  
  
"Two minutes."  
  
Well, Rick was willing, and Kieren didn't see any reason to object. His heart was beating a little faster. "Okay," he agreed.  
  
Rick beamed at him. "Okay! Right, want to get the food and I'll meet you at the checkout? Don't pay for anything though. And could you grab some razors as well please? Gillette Mach 3 blades. And a few cans of Coke, if that's okay? I'll be five minutes, promise."  
  
The enthusiasm and rush of Rick's words made Kieren smile, despite himself, and he nodded, agreeing again. "Okay."  
  
Rick shifted, passing the pizza over to Kieren. Neither of them had picked up a basket on the way into the store, so Kieren gestured in the general direction of the store entrance. "I need to get a basket."  
  
As they walked together, Rick kept talking. "Grab anything you want, my treat, seeing as I'm going to coerce you into cooking for me and then take up space on your sofa. Should I bring anything? From my place?"  
  
As they neared the entrance Kieren took a basket from the stack, turning back to the store while Rick's body stayed facing outward. He shrugged. "Is the film long?"  
  
"The film?"  
  
"About the bridge?"  
  
"Oh," Rick said, thinking. "Not sure."  
  
"Well I can loan you a duvet and let you sleep on the sofa if it's too late to walk home afterwards. If you want to stay to watch it?"  
  
There wasn't really such a thing as 'too late to walk home', but it was the only excuse for the offer Kieren could think of on the spot. He hoped Rick didn't see through it, or read too much into it.  
  
"Yeah, I'd love to," Rick said with a small smile. There was something strange in that moment between them, and it made Kieren want to reach out and take Rick's hand, or... something...  
  
"I'll be back in five," Rick repeated, his voice a lot softer.  
  
"Blades and Coke," Kieren nodded, mentally pulling back as he remembered himself. Rick gave him another smile, and finally made to leave. Kieren watched him go, heart skipping a beat when Rick turned to see if he was looking.  
  
Five minutes later when Rick re-appeared at his side, Kieren was sure the guy had been running. He had a rucksack loosely slung over his shoulder and was breathing a little faster than normal.  
  
"Hey," he grinned at Kieren, who returned the gesture, smelling fresh air on Rick's clothes as the guy stood much closer to him than he needed to, peering at the contents of the basket but not really examining closely.  
  
"All there," Kieren promised.  
  
"Thanks. Checkout?"  
  
As Kieren placed the basket at the end of the conveyor and started unloading items, he turned to Rick, who was still close next to him.  
  
"I bet if you phoned Michelle's old number it will still work."  
  
Rick grimaced. "Tried that. No answer."  
  
Kieren grinned, giving a short laugh. "Definitely a set-up."  
  
"She will pay," Rick muttered darkly, despite his obvious good mood. Kieren didn't mind. The guy wanted to spend time with him - even if it was just for pizza - so it was clear the annoyance sprang from being manoeuvred just where someone else wanted him. As Rick paid, Kieren pulled out his phone.  
  
_Kieren:_  
[19:36]  _You two are evil, scheming little so-and-sos_  
  
_Jem:  
_ [19:36]  _lol. have a great night big bro. give rick a kiss for us x_


End file.
